iPlayer Not Coming to 360 Soon

Share.

Deal between Microsoft and BBC stumbles.

By Martin Robinson

The iPlayer looks unlikely to come to the Xbox 360 in the near future as Microsoft and BBC have failed to agree terms – with Microsoft's insistence for charging for all content on the console reportedly a major stumbling block.

Both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii sport the BBC's iPlayer, though it seems Microsoft's Xbox 360 won't be following suit, with the computing giant's policy on charging for content clashing with the free status of the iPlayer – funded as it is by the licence fee.

"Microsoft only wants to offer its users access to platforms it can charge for as this is the model it is pursuing," a BBC source told The Telegraph. "It wants to ensure that only those paying for Xbox Live Gold accounts can access its additional content services and even then there is usually a charge on top to get access to those."

"This does not fit with the BBC's model and Microsoft will not budge at the moment," continued the source.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 already boasts Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm, and the absence of the iPlayer could potentially be a dent to the console's aspirations.